Good day to you!
I’ve had a busy month of walking – I am doing March the Month for Prostate Cancer UK – 11,000 steps a day.
I’m joining thousands of people, across the nation, committing to walk or wheel 11,000 steps a day throughout March.
I’m doing it for more than 11,000 dads, brothers, grandads, partners and mates who die from prostate cancer every year.
PLEASE SUPPORT AND DONATE HERE
A few pics from my walks….
Crikey, it’s March and my last update was back in August last year.
My apologies dear reader. It’s sort of a mix of there being no news, and too much news, so I will try and update a bit. So – Work first – then my life….
Winter is generally a quiet time in my line of work, as TV and Film tends to wind down a bit.
I did some theatre in September, with Dead Earnest Theatre, in a production of The Ratcatcher, part of the Festival Of The Mind in the Spiegeltent in the centre of Sheffield.
I’ve done some voice work too, on a wonderful series for Vanitas Arts, a new jazz based audio drama series titled Persons of Interest – four audio drama podcasts based on the lives of prominent jazz artists who are Black and Queer: Gladys Bentley, Josephine Baker, Ken Snakehips Johnson and Ada Bricktop Smith. You can listen to these as they’re released here, or through your favourite Podcast sources.
My voice has also featured on a new story on the Geostories App: Freyda Skald of Jorvik.
The Jorvik GeoStory is about magic, myth and mystery as a young woman’s life is transformed after an encounter with a legendary Viking Seeress, Gudrun. Developed in partnership with The Jorvik Viking Centre and supported by Arts Council England, the story begins in Coppergate, York.
Launched at the 2023 JORVIK VIKING FESTIVAL in February, it features Augmented Reality images that come to life as you are transported back to Jorvik in the Year 960 and into magical Viking Realms.
Freyda Skald of Jorvik is free to listen to and can be accessed in the GeoStories Library by downloading the GeoStories app on the App Store and Google Play or by scanning the QR Code on the flyer below.
2022 ended wonderfully. I met an amazing woman.
Just when you feel like there is no one out there for you, that you should just maybe give up on the idea of romance. That a hand blindly fishing around in the Quality Street tin for a wrapped chocolate may be the most exciting thing to happen over Christmas.
Beverley is much nicer than a Quality Street Strawberry Cream or a Purple One.
She’s an author, writer, coach, entrepreneur, single mum, and much, much more – and things are quite lovely. We laugh, sing, cuddle, and kiss a lot.
You can find her here or at The Writers Workshop.
Or read her latest Grief blog update here – Swimming Through Clouds: A journey of love and loss. I am mentioned in the latest update.
The Writers Workshop is an amazing resource for you writers out there, with workshops, motivation sessions, mentoring, live events, retreats, masterclasses, and much more.
It’s very affordable, and the sessions are either in person or online. Take a look
Inspired by being with this amazing Writer Woman, I have started writing more myself, and I’ve even dug out some older pieces to tinker with. I will share some of my new stuff at the end of this update.
BIRTHDAY
My birthday arrived in January. It wasn’t unexpected of course.
I decided on a trip to Edinburgh for my birthday treat, as I’d never visited before.
So it was the Castle, Royal Mile, Haggis Neeps and Tatties, Deep Fried Mars Bars, and a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
And I slipped walking back down from Arthur’s seat, hurting my own seat, a bang on the Coccyx. It’s still painful now.
VISITORS
My Brother John and his daughter Modena visited from Canada in January. Our birthday’s are 4 years and a day apart. So it was lovely to catch up, have family time, and a drink or two with old friends.
COVID HITS
Damn! After avoiding the lurgy since the very beginning, Covid hit the house at the end of January.
Mum and I are both fully vaccinated, so it could have been worse.
I was pretty miserable with it for a few days, but bounced back.
Mum is 90, so it has hit her harder. Though now testing negative, she has ended up in hospital, but we hope she will be home again soon. Keep everything crossed.
As I mentioned, Beverley has inspired me to write more. And to be public about it.
So here’s a couple of recent pieces.
It’s bin day
Wind day
Bins blown over everywhere
Regardless of colour
Black, brown, blue
On it’s side, lid flapping like a puppet mouth
Spewing garbage like a politician
Pizza crusts
Used wipes
Eeeeuw I don’t even know what that is
But it’s not nice
Dogs try to sniff. No!
Home we rush with chilled ears through streets awash with flotsam and jetsam
Bin day
Wind day
It’s Bin Day again
Wind day again
Blue Bins put out to stand street-side
Like Bobbies in a row
Guarding our road like sentry’s on duty
But blue bins are slender
Thinner than Grey and Brown
And with contents of cardboard and paper
There’s no weight to hold it down
So blue bins blow, off they go
Like drunken revellers
Until they trip off the kerb
And they’re down, rolling around, regurgitating contents
Prescription copies, old bills, egg boxes, dozens of Amazon cardboard envelopes, pizza boxes, cardboard sleeves off yogurt containers, magazines, newspapers
Almost no bins left to empty now
Contents blow freely
Twisting and turning
Escaping down the road
Hiding in gardens and under cars
Bin lorry comes, empties the few still standing, then blue bins left on the pavement
Empty now, lighter and giddy, they wheel around
Throwing themselves down once more
They roll around like pigs in muck
It’s bin day again
Wind day again
A man down the road has a DeLorean.
Yes, that sporty stainless steel car made famous in the Back to the Future franchise.
On our road. Just parked there on the street. Under a tree.
Hardly ever moves it, it sits there, falling blossoms gathering at the base of the windscreen.
Which must block his air intakes because he often puts a sheet of plastic over the air vents in autumn.
That fancy rear cover over the engine compartment. Tied down with a length of tatty rope.
And what of the owner?
No Marty McFly or Doc Brown here.
A mild mannered chap, dresses conservatively, slacks and sweaters. Silver framed glasses, greying blonde hair parted to one side.
His other car, his daily drive, parked behind the DMC – a silver Ford Focus.
Seen him in the paper shop. Buys two loaves. Appears to be single. And heard Linda in the shop ask about his mother.
So why? Why a DeLorean? The dream car of the 80’s, sitting outside a Sheffield semi?
He hardly ever moves it. If he does then it’s MOT time, though he did park it around the corner for a few days when they repaved the street.
I often stand beside it when I’m walking the dogs. They seem to have a fascination with it, they sniff the alloy rims and custom rubber tyres. Where has it been to gather smells so interesting to canine olfactory organs?
Then, this morning, walking back from the paper shop, the rumble of an engine.
Not a normal rumble.
He’s sat in the drivers seat – on the left of course, it’s American – giving it an occasional monthly turnover to keep it running, circulate the juices that keep the beast alive.
Or is he?
Is there more to Mr Normal. Is he actually from the future? Holding out on Holdings Rd, keeping watch over the steel city, his DeLorean the Time Machine that brought him here, and his lifeboat to return him home.
Are those “sitting there running the engine” times really to keep it roadworthy?
Or perhaps he’s generating some time clock energy, rewinding us all to correct something that shouldn’t have happened.
But I still remember you. And what we said last night. That can’t be rewound by Mr Future.
So, we are good.
No objection raised by the Time Panel, no temporal anomaly created, we can go on.
And how can we say no to the future?
So, I think that’s just about all the interesting stuff.
There’s more of course, but my instagram and Twitter Feeds may fill in the gaps for you.
Wishing you all love, prosperity, and the fall of this evil Tory government.
D x
Last year I did some voice work for an animation, Everyday Life with IBS.
I discovered the final version last week, and here it is… A fascinating insight into the life of those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Many thanks to Dead Earnest Theatre, Fettle Animation, and University of Sheffield.
And cast mates Melanie Crawley and Nadia Emam.
There’s more voice work to come…. Another animation – and an audio soap! Stay tuned.
Thank you Radio Times for printing Cast Lists for shows!
Great to see my name in the RT again for next week’s episodes of Coronation St, playing Gordon, Wednesday and Friday, 12th and 14th of January.
It was lovely to be on the cobbles again, my 4th time, and to work with the legend that is Barbara Knox, the wonderful Julia Goulding and Sally-Ann Matthews – and the fab crew of course! Amazing lovely place to work.
The Coronation St Blog and Weatherfield Gazette have a spoiler previews for the episodes next week, check the Friday episode preview if you wonder what I’m up to.
Otherwise, just set your timers and alarms and tune in next Wednesday and Friday! Jan 12 and 14th.
I hope the New Year is treating you all well. I started the Prostate Cancer UK “RUN THE MONTH” Challenge to cover a marathon distance over the month of January.
All is going well so far, I’ve done just over 10 miles of brisk walking as of today, Jan 4th, and raised £215 so far.
If you’d like to chip in a few quid, it would be much appreciated, the Fundraiser Page is here. I’m doing it for a mate who was recently diagnosed.
Keep walking, stay safe – and watch Corrie next week!
Love ya!
Dave x
Hello there!
I hope you had a lovely Christmas. Covid impacted on many of us again, restricting gatherings. Thankfully technology helps keep us in touch.
So, it’s the final week of 2021. And looking forward to the New Year, I decided to start 2022 with a challenge. Run the Month: Marathon Edition
Earlier this year, I found out one of my oldest mates has Prostate Cancer.
It was discovered late and has spread.
That inspired me to try a bit of fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK.
In my mid 20’s I ran quite a lot, I did half marathons and 10k’s. I’m no longer that fit though. So – I’m going to be walking, jogging, or staggering, 26.2 miles throughout January to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
This will be distance covered just for this Challenge, not including my regular dog walks.
Prostate cancer now affects 1 in 8 men in the UK. That’s thousands of dads, partners, brothers, grandads, uncles and mates.
I’m raising money to help fund lifesaving research and support for men and their families affected by prostate cancer.
Please help me with a bit of Sponsorship at my page – Run the Month: Marathon Edition
I’ll check in again before 2021 ends… see you soon
D X
Hello m’darlings!
Just a quick update… Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with Flippin’Mental Theatre to provide the final video element to an online Drama Project, Drama For The Mind 2021.
The participants have developed their own work, and have then performed their monologues to camera. There’s 8 lovely pieces, funny, moving, emotional… a fantastic job by all involved.
I’ve assembled it all to in to a video to Premiere online this Saturday evening at 7pm (UK). Please drop by if you can. https://youtu.be/t72A6-RtVeo
Meanwhile Lockdown continues.
As does my Lockdown log. We’re now at Lockdown 3, Day 74 – can you believe it?
And still the bnuch of lying con artists we have in government continue. And now they are trying to stop us protesting. I see trouble ahead….
You can see my latest updates below….
As you can see from the updates, I’m building a garden bar, assembled from old pallets, in preparation for the March 29 Roadmap date for meeting another person in your garden – and the April 12 date for up to 6 people meeting in a garden.
Better stock up on the booze 🙂
Stay safe!
Dave X
Ey up from the Steel City!!! Hope you’re all doing okay, staying warm and staying safe.
I write this on the 39th day of Lockdown 3. It just goes on and on doesn’t it?
But, thankfully, I have something to tickle your funny bones on these cold nights.
I’m a member of Sketch Up! – a group of Actor’s, Writers and Voice Artists, that got together to record comedy sketches, directly from the mind and nimble fingers of Rachel E. Thorn
We were due to perform these LIVE!!! Yes, LIVE!!! with an audience, at the renowned Leicester Comedy Festival. But, alas, a Global Pandemic thwarted our bid for Global Sketch Comedy Stardom.
Live comedy’s loss is, however, your gain…
Thanks to the power of T’interwebs, you can enjoy our sketches in the comfort of your very own home/car/van/tent/workplace/ears… via the Leicester Comedy Festival – until Feb 21.
We’ve already had a 4-STAR REVIEW (“a delight…with a bit of bite!”) and lots of lovely feedback which is great. Its free to listen (you bloody old misers) online – 45 comedy sketches – listen all in one go or individually.
They range from the surreal to the domestic and sometimes incorporate a bit of both but nowhere will you find even the vaguest reference to the dreaded pandemic!
Sketch Up! Comedy sketches written by Rachel E. Thorn, Produced by Gerard Fletcher & Melanie Crawley, Performed by Ali Mylon, Gerard Fletcher, Letty Butler, Melanie Crawley, myself, and Rachel E Thorn.
Here’s the Soundcloud link
Last weekend was a happy/sad one… My eldest son Benjamin turned 19. He lives just outside Blackpool, and with Lockdowns and Tiers, etc, we haven’t seen each other in person since last August.
Sadly Benjamin, my daughter Sophie and my youngest son, Joseph, lost their mum, my ex-wife Jane, to Covid just before Christmas. It’s such a difficult time for everyone. And it’s really hard not seeing my children, when all I want to do is hug them.
I posted a link to my Ko-Fi account in case anyone wanted to send Benjamin a bit of birthday love. And many of you did, thank you so very much! It made his day!
Benjamin has now created his own Ko-Fi Page, so if you’d like to check it out and send him the price of a a coffee, cake, or even more, the link is here….
Buy a coffee for Benjamin McClelland
All contributions are very much appreciated.
A reminder, I post daily Twitter and YouTube Lockdown Log updates, featuring 2 Minute 20 Second updates on the boring minutiae of my Lockdown life. Really selling that, aren’t I?
Here’s the YouTube Playlist…
Thanks for dropping by! Subscribe to this blog at the bottom of the page, or follow any/all of my socials, top of the right hand column!
Stay safe m’ducks!
Dave X
My first update of 2021, and we find ourselves in a situation even more dire than December.
New strains, more cases, sadly many more deaths,. No going out, no physical contact, no idea when any degree of normality will return. Not this year I fear.
On today’s No 10 Briefing, featuring the very evil, and the letter G incapable, Home Secretary, Priti Patel, a reporter asked the question – as people must be desperate for a holiday after all we’ve been through, can they think about booking a summer holiday?
BOOK A F**KING SUMMER HOLIDAY!!!! Are you mad?
Be grateful to still be breathing.
It will end when it ends, it will be safe when it is safe.
Remember that DISASTROUS “Eat Out To Help Out” cheap meal/mass-killing scheme.
Too early Rishi!
One good thing in the world is that that Orange Trump Stain has been removed! I watched the Biden/Harris Inauguration yesterday, hated much of the schmaltz and flag adoration, but loved Amanda Gorman and her wonderful poem – here’s Barack Obama’s link to it
One can only imagine the Big Orange Baby sulking in Florida.
Obviously life is quiet here. Good news is my Mum has had both Vaccine injections, so let’s hope she is safe(r). I await my turn.
Just before Christmas, I was lucky enough to have a small role in a TV ad, which is apparently airing so often that people keep telling me they saw me on the telly!
Here it is….
I’m happy to be working on an Audiobook narration at the moment, and loving the book. It’s called CRONIES, by Robert Craft. I’ll let you know when the audiobook version is finished and available.
If you fancy a bit of Audio Fun, I am co-host of Write Radio (Comedy edition) on Sheffield Live. The Christmas Day show was a special one, where yer old pal Dave goes full on Scrooge, so take a listen – Go to the SHEFFIELD LIVE site, and click on Dec 25, Hour 1 and Hour 2.
And that’s about it. I carry on with my Daily Lockdown logs, recording the dull monotony of Lockdown 3. Posted on my Twitter and Playlisted on YouTube (and below).
Stay safe you Beauties, I look forward to lifting a glass with you some time in the future! Contact me via form below if you fancy a video catchup!
Dave X
Over lockdown I’ve been helping out with an amazing project looking at Suicide and mental health. Something that many have struggled with over the course of this Pandemic.
The Suicide Monologues are a series of thirteen short films which present the testimonies of people who have been affected by suicide and attempted suicide.
The films will be streamed this Saturday, and will be subsequently available to view online.
The project is a collaboration between Kathryn Littlewood, Penny Capper, Charlie Barnes, Brendan Stone, myself, and others. It was funded by the University of Sheffield, and supported by the mental health charity Sheffield Flourish.
The monologues are the true stories of a diverse group of people which are voiced in the films by a range of actors including Julian Richings, Cathy Shipton, Ian Reddington, Alice Barlow, Blue Merrick, Andy Whittaker, Janelle Thompson, Rachael McAllister, and Deepak Verma.
The aim of The Suicide Monologues is to challenge stigma around this complex subject, increase understanding, and create discussion.
You’ll be able to view the films at this link on Saturday 19th September at 19.00. Please feel free to share this message, but please note that some viewers may find these films distressing.
Festival of the Mind brings together University academics and professionals from Sheffield’s cultural, creative and digital industries to bring our research to life in exciting, entertaining and innovative ways.
Christmas is almost here!
We’ve had the first dusting of snow on the Sheffield hills, my cards are sent, presents mostly bought, now I’m making lists for food shopping for the big day.
I’ve also been busy on the business side, getting new actor headshot pics and making a new video to share with you, so lots to tell you about in this update….
I usually record a video each Christmas of me reading A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS (‘Twas the night…). I used to read it to my children on Christmas eve in the pre-divorce days, but I never see them to read it now, so I started recording it for them.
This year I decided to record an audio version for them and put a bit more into the production side, with sound effects and such. I’m very pleased with the results.
I’ve put it on YouTube with some family photos and videos under the audio, here it is….
If you’d like the original audio version in it’s full glory, it’s here to listen or download…. or buy if you wish to send me money.
I’m going to be in your house in January!
Earlier this year I recorded a lovely episode of GIRLFRIENDS, Kay Mellor’s new drama for ITV. A couple of nice scenes with Miranda Richardson and Zoë Wanamaker. The series begins Weds January 3rd. I’m in Episode 3. It’s a lovely cast, please watch.
Here’s some of the new pics of the new slimmer me (over 80lbs lost now) – and with new glasses too. I’m hoping the new slimmer look leads to more TV work as directors move me from the obese to hunky casting category 😁
And here’s a final Christmassy treat for you, the first Yorkshire Teabaggers video. Our parody take on one of the most popular of Christmas songs.
https://youtu.be/mpP5tNpCkR4http://
What a lot of Christmas goodies eh?
So, now I’ve unloaded my sack on you, I will bid you a Very Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year.
Stay warm, stay safe, help others, spread the love and be good to yourself.
Love always,
Dave x